Friday, 1 January 2016

Sinkhole swallows man in South Wales.

Officials from the Coal Authority and Bridgend Council are investigating after a man was swallowed by a sinkhole in the village of Nantyfyllon in Bridgend County, South Wales on 31 December 2015. The incident happened at about 8.00 am local time, when the hole, which measured roughly 3 m across and 4 m deep opened up in a pavement; the man was rescued uninjured by the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, but some nearby homes have been evacuated as a precaution.

Sinkholes
are generally caused by water eroding soft limestone or unconsolidated
deposits from beneath, causing a hole that works its way upwards and
eventually opening spectacularly at the surface. Where there are
unconsolidated deposits at the surface they can infill from the sides,
apparently swallowing objects at the surface, including people, without
trace.

The approximate location of the 31 December 2015 Nantyffyllon sinkhole. Google Maps.

On this occasion the sinkhole has been linked to very high rainfall levels associated with Atlantic Storm Frank which are thought to have washed away sediments beneath the pavement exposing an old and undocumented mine working. Very high levels of rainfall were observed on mountains close to the village prior to the event, with runoff flowing through the village.

Ground collapses thought to be associated with old mine workings, collapsed mines or mine entrances, unsealed mine entrances or gas or water emissions from old mine workings in the UK can be reported to the Coal Authority here.

River Neath turned orange by mining run-off.
On Friday 24 September 2011 anglers on the River Neath in South Wales
reported that a stretch of the river between Abergarwed and Neath Town
had turned a muddy orange colour, and that a number of fish could be
seen to be visibly in distress.

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About Me

Studied Palaeobiology & Evolution at the University of Portsmouth, Geosciences via the Open University & Ecology and Conservation at Christchurch University, Canterbury.
Have worked in wildlife based tourism, mineral exploration, development, conservation, education & environmental chemistry. Occasionally write articles for papers and magazines.

This Blog would be impossible without the work of countless scientists (and others) throughout the world. Where possible I do my best to credit them, but there will always be many more who remain unmentioned; this does not imply I am ungrateful for their contributions. Any errors or inaccuracies are, of course, my own.